The June Issue

Cover photo by Emily Schiller, MG 2008

for more fantastic flora photos, see Emily's blog:

Gardening Through A Lens

June Calendar of Events

NOTE: there will be NO monthly foundation meeting for JUNE

June 9  

WSU Anaerobic Digestion Systems Field Day  Lynden, WA.

Thursday, June 9th  •  8:30am-3pm • Meet at Mt. Baker Rotary Building at the NW WA Fair  1775 Front St. 

Researchers at Washington State University, working with commercial partners, invite you to participate in an upcoming field day to showcase anaerobic digestion and nutrient recovery technologies and the lessons learned over the past three years.  The field day, hosted by WSU’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, will showcase various topics including fine solids recovery; advanced nutrient recovery approaches; nutrient recovery products and their agronomic use; water quality and food safety issues; economics; and the potential for integration of biochar with AD systems. The event includes bus transportation to and from the farms, so registration is required. For more information and to register for this event please visit: http://csanr.wsu.edu/ad-field-day/.

June 9 

Foundation Field Trip to Extension Research Station

8:45am • Carpool at the WFC TRUE VALUE  parking lot in Fairhaven

We will have a planned tour with Carol Miles and do plan on a packed lunch for the day. 

June 11

Lynden Library Workshop Series: Berries

Saturday, 1 - 2 pm • Lynden Library

Free community workshop 

Food crops that you can savor

June 17 

Foundation Event: Tour of Local Gardens

10:30am: Robin Covert on the Boyer Rd

Noon: Kathleen Bander, 1841 Smith Road

Flat bread luncheon made in Kathleen's pizza oven to follow (bring your favorite toppings!)

June 19

Plant ID Study Group 

Thursday, June 19 • 9am-11am • Squires Lake.  Parking location is: 170 Old Highway 99 North, Bellingham, WA  98229

Scroll down for details

June 25

Compost Workshops at the Sustainable Living Festival

Saturday, June 25 • 10am-5pm • Re Store, 2309 Meridian St, Bellingham

Master Composters will be hosting a booth at this fun community event.

Volunteers needed! Email Amber Kelley: a.kelley@wsu.edu

For more details, see:

https://sustainableconnections.org/greenbuilding/imagine-this-home-landscape-tour/2016-sites/Sustainable%20Living%20Festival%20

June 25

York Farm Summer Solstice Celebration 

Saturday, June 25 • 1pm-7pm • 

Live music, food, beer, and garden fun.

Master Composters will be working on a project and offering composting advice from 4:30 - 7pm. Master Gardeners welcome! Email Amber Kelley for details: a.kelley@wsu.edu

July 14 

Foundation Event: Field trip to Canada

Note:  this is a BC trip, so bring a passport or appropriate ID

Big Bus Tour to Southlands Nursery and VanDusen Garden. We have 15 so far for the tour so don't delay! Send your checks made out to Master Gardener Foundation, $56.00, and mail to Judy Boxx at 270 E Laurel, Bellingham WA 98226

August 11 

Foundation Event: Hovander Picnic

September 8 

Foundation Presentation: Putting Your Garden to Bed

Thursday, 7:30 - 9 pm • WSU Extension Office, 1000 N Forest St Suite, Bellingham

Presenter: Marcie, Garden Spot Nursery

Detailed Information

Foundation Events

Contact Barb Schickler (barbaraschickler2@gmail.com) or Kathleen Bander (kbwm@camano.net) with ideas about future presenters, subjects for presentations, or possible field trips.

Master Gardener Bus Trips

Please click here for details

Plant ID Study Group 

Thursday, June 19 • 9am-11am • Squires Lake.  Parking location is: 170 Old Highway 99 North, Bellingham, WA  98229

We will be identifying native plants while walking slowly on the trail to the lake.  Wear walking shoes and clothing appropriate for cool mornings.  A native plants identification book is useful (Pojar and MacKinnon or Turner).  A hand lens comes in handy to view small flower parts.  No experience necessary.  Bring a friend.  Credits are accepted for MG education.

Directions from 1000 N Forest St, Bellingham:  Take I-5, S. from Lakeway Dr. for 9.9 mi.   Take exit 242 from I-5.  Turn left on Nulle Rd.   This becomes Old Hwy 99 N.  Follow for 1 min (0.7 mi) to the parking lot on the left.  A map is located here:

http://wa-whatcomcounty.civicplus.com/2155/Squires-Lake-Park

Questions may be directed to Karen Gilliam 384-4562, jkgilliam@gmail.com, or Louise Granger, 592-5316, rutroad@gmail.com.

Interesting facts:  Acquired in 1995 with Conservation Futures Funds and the assistance of the Whatcom County Land Trust, this 82 acre park is focused around Squires Lake, once used by the Squires Family as a private fish and fur farm. The park provides a connection to the Pacific Northwest Trail which links Glacier National Park to the Pacific Ocean. The park is cooperatively managed by the Whatcom and Skagit County Parks & Recreation Department.

President's Message

Linda Burshia Battle, MG Foundation President

Kind hearts are the gardens,

Kind thoughts are the roots,

Kind words are the flowers,

Kind deeds are the fruits.

Take care of your garden

And keep out the weeds

Fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

More thanks to all the hard working and dedicated Whatcom County Master Gardeners.  Summer is almost upon us and the weeds have yet to give anyone a break. The upside is that this spring has had some pretty spectacular buds, blossoms and flowers. The color palette has been dazzling. I do so love the Pacific Northwest climate and the temperate zones. My less fortunate  family in Montana are excited about the lilacs blooming and have just started planting their gardens!!!

Hovander is a beautiful retreat for the community, thanks to all the dedicated Master Gardeners. The Roeder home is a beautiful historic, urban retreat, thanks to the Roeder team that works tirelessly almost year round. The community gardens, the Farmers market, the classes and workshops that are offered to the community all utilize our Master Gardeners' expertise. You all make our community better.

The class of 2016 has finished class work and have been out in the field volunteering. Thanks to all of you. The Whatcom County Master Gardener Foundation Board is still looking for a 2016 graduate to serve on the board as a member at large. If you are interested in this position please contact myself or any board member.  We need your input!

I'm recovering from a total knee replacement so have been "out of the loop". I'm anxious to start getting back into the gardens and see you all of you lovely gardeners. Thanks to those on the board who have kept things running smoothly. 

Keep the August 11th picnic at Hovander on your calendar. Always great food and great people.  It's not to be missed.

Thanks to Barb Schicker and Kathleen Bander for all the great bus trips and garden viewings. Check them out. Sign up. They are always informational and fun.

Linda Battle 

Volunteer Opportunities

Note: The MCR logo denotes volunteer opportunities for Master Gardeners AND Master Composters

WSU Extension Events
June 25

Compost Workshops at the Sustainable Living Festival

Saturday, June 25 • 10am-5pm • Re Store, 2309 Meridian St, Bellingham

Master Composters will be hosting a booth at this fun community event.

Volunteers needed! Email Amber Kelley: a.kelley@wsu.edu

For more details, see:

https://sustainableconnections.org/greenbuilding/imagine-this-home-landscape-tour/2016-sites/Sustainable%20Living%20Festival%20

June 25

York Farm Summer Solstice Celebration 

Saturday, June 25 • 1pm-7pm • 

Live music, food, beer, and garden fun.

Master Composters will be working on a project and offering composting advice from 4:30 - 7pm. Master Gardeners welcome! Email Amber Kelley for details: a.kelley@wsu.edu

NW WA Fair 
August 15-20 • Lynden Fairgrounds
Need a team of 4 people to create a theme for this years educational booth at the fair.
Planning Starts in late May.
***Volunteers Needed***


Weekly Drop-In Opportunities

Gardening with Youth

Meridian Middle School
Tuesdays • 2:45-4:45pm • Meridian Middle School (MMS)- 861 Ten Mile Rd. 
Work with middle school students in the garden after school. 
Contact: Beth Chisholm or Phyllis Berquist, MMS staff: pbergqui@meridian.wednet.edu

Fairhaven Middle School
Wednesdays 3-4:30 pm • Fairhaven Middle School (FMS)
Work with middle school students; teaching, planting, harvesting, composting.



Blaine School/ Community Garden 
Children’s garden —Boys & Girls Club
Contact master gardener Ayn Balback for details: enchaynting@hotmail.com 



Northwest Youth Services WE GROW Vocational Garden 
Mondays • 1-5pm • NWYS Garden, 1020 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225 
Volunteer with other MGs in this large urban garden, work with at risk teens. Contact Kali Crow Liester for more details: kcrowliester@gmail.com 


Community Gardens and Demonstration Gardens

Hovander Demonstration Garden
Wednesdays, 9am-noon • Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale
Lend a hand, gain skills in weed ID, composting, and gardening with vegetables, flowers, and herbs.
***Volunteers Needed at the Compost Demonstration Site***

Roeder Home
Tuesdays,1-4pm • 2600 Sunset Dr. Bellingham
Master Gardeners volunteer weekly at this historic home. Drop in or contact Shelly Fishwild for more info.

Francis Place Garden
Tuesdays, 4-6pm • Francis Place Housing 1122 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
Rooftop vegetable gardening for the residents at Francis Place. Mentor, teach, grow food, harvest, prepare. Contact Beth Chisholm and/or Malora Christensen, MSW, Catholic Community Services, Housing Services Manager: (360)393-7745

Ferndale HS Shift Foods program Ferndale Food Bank, Ferndale Friendship Garden (FFG)
Contact: Suzanne Nevan, Ferndale Foodbank Director: director@ferndalefoodbank.org 
Shift Program: http://shiftfoods.org/journal/2016/4/23/april-update-hoop-house-in-pre-production
Gloria Perez, MG vol and lead at FFG



Sterling Paz Community Garden
Saturdays, 9am-noon • 558 Sterling Dr, Bellingham, WA 98226
Work parties are scheduled bi-monthly. Dates TBA. Garden, maintain the compost demo area, compost kitchen scraps in the worm bin, aprende hablar español, and weed to your heart's content!

Monthly Opportunities
Diagnostic Plant Clinic
WSU Extension Office
Schedule a shift throughout the week: 
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/mastergardener/calendar.html




Farmers Market Booth
One Saturday a month in June, July, Aug, Sept





Writing & Photography for The Weeder's Digest
See submission guidelines here (http://mgwhatcom.blogspot.com/p/submit-article.html)

The Case of the Collapsing Crucifers

Digger Spade, MG Plant Detective

Cabbage root maggot  damage. Source

The client came in with pictures of his cabbage and cauliflower transplants.  Some looked fine and some, though they had grown well since they were transplanted,  were severely wilted - though not quite dead.  The clients questions: What caused this? And What can be done about it? 

We asked if he had looked at the base of the plant to see if it had been chewed on. He had, it hadn’t.  We asked if he had pulled any up to look at the roots, he hadn’t.  Has he had this problem in the past? He hasn’t, though he has only grown these crops twice before.

It seemed clear that the problem was due to the robustly growing tops having quite suddenly lost access to water and nutrients.  Since there was no sign of damage at ground level, which could be due to cutworms, it seemed most likely that the problem was below ground and the likely candidate the cabbage maggot. We suggested that the client dig up some of the wilted plants to see whether there were any fine roots, or just  the main root that is a continuation of the stem.  If that were the case, we would be pretty sure that the cabbage maggot was the culprit.  And he might find white larvae, though they are only 3/8” long when mature. But we also suggested how he might protect his cabbage family crops if the evidence supported our supposition.  We asked if he had seen wireworms in his plot but he had not.

The cabbage maggot (Delia radicum) is the larva of a small fly.  The larvae feed on roots and can kill young transplants and damage the roots of older plants including radishes and turnips.  The flies pupate in the soil and can have two or three generations in one year. Once an area of the garden has been infested, it should not be planted to crucifers for a year or two.  The best defense is to protect transplants using floating row covers or a cage covered with insect screen.

At this stage it would not help to put row cover on the remaining plants since the larvae are in the soil and the next generation would be housed with the remaining plants.  There are five insecticides listed on PICOL that target cabbage maggot  and are available to homeowners.  They kill by contact and ingestion.  Since the fly doesn't stick around after laying eggs and the maggot feeds underground it is unlikely that either will make contact with a pesticide sprayed on the plant.  So for this year it seems best to feed and water the remaining plants to see if they can escape death by a thousand nibbles and next year protect with row cover on a fly-free site. 

The client called after he had examined some of the wilted plants.  They had no roots other that the main stem.

Resources
Cabbage Maggot
WSU Extension Fact Sheet FS010E
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/FS010E/FS010E.pdf

Cabbage Maggot (WSU)
http://hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/Search/MainMenuWithFactSheet.aspx?CategoryId=5&PlantDefId=44&ProblemId=190

Cabbage Maggot (UMass)
https://ag.umass.edu/fact-sheets/cabbage-root-maggot